HeyJaredThe Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Welcome to The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind, a podcast that tells the story of the prophets, philosophers, and poets who created the West. In this podcast, Rabbi Dr.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
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- Sep 9, 2026
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- Jul 8, 2026
Latest episodes
The Romantic Era II: Byron, the Shelleys, and Keats (opens the original)
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The second generation of Romantics would move beyond their predecessors, emphasizing the emotional longings of the human soul. As we learn more about these writers, we'll take a look at the following questions: What was Byron trying to accomplish by his travels that differs from the type of tourism we engage in today? How did Percy Shelley attempt to reinvent the poet's role, breaking away from the classical notion of the poet? Why was beauty so important for Keats? Recommended Reading: Poetry o
The Romantic Era I: Wordsworth and Coleridge (opens the original)
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Reactions to the Enlightenment emphasis on cold, hard reason would result in the Romantic era, which emphasized the emotional dimension of the human person. On today's episode, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did the French Revolution, which was steeped in Enlightenment thought, also end up giving rise to Romanticism? What role did Wordsworth's upbringing in the Lake District play in his development as a Romantic poet? In what sense does Coleridge's poetry, with its emphas
Schiller and Hoffmann: The Supernatural and the Sinister (opens the original)
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While Friedrich Schiller was a paragon of optimism, E.T.A. Hoffmann saw a darker side of human nature. To help us explore these two writers, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions: Why does tyranny feature so prominently in Schiller's early writings? Why was Schiller concerned with the general rejection of mythology and imagination that he perceived in society? In what way did Hoffmann lay the groundwork for the detective novels that would become popular in the nineteenth century? Re
Trials and Tribulations: A History of the Early American Republic (opens the original)
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The viability of the newly formed United States would be tested in its early years. As we go back to those first few years of the republic, we'll answer the following questions: Why did slavery become such a divisive issue in the early years of the United States? What was unusual about the ministers whom Washington selected? What was so controversial about Hamilton's proposed national bank? If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of The Pillars , we invite you to join the Tikvah Ideas Cir
We the People: The US Constitution and Federalist Papers (opens the original)
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The United States Constitution remains a brilliant legal document as significant today as it was in 1789. To help us understand why, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: Why did the Founding Fathers prefer the term republic over democracy when framing the Constitution? Why did the Framers insist on a clause that forbids Congressmen from adopting titles of nobility? What did James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton accomplish with the Federalist Papers? Recommended Reading: T
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